Chickpea Curry– Our hot lunch recipe wagon presents a hot lunch you can take to work or school. Our recipes are quick, easy and less than 30 minutes to cook. Cook our recipes the night before, refrigerate and reheat the next day. Or, on the other hand, you can cook our meals and freeze them for next week’s lunch. Our special today is Chickpea Curry (Channa Masala)
HOT LUNCH RECIPE WAGON: Chickpea Curry
This spicy and tangy Punjabi recipe uses brewed tea to darken the sauce.
1 black tea bag
¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves
2 to 2 ½ inch piece cassia bark or cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon mango powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (14 ounces each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ teaspoon ground pomegranate seeds
2 -inch piece gingerroot, peeled and chopped
Bring
- 2 cups water to a boil. Put the tea bag in a heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over and set aside to brew
Cook
- the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cassia bark and cinnamon or bay leaves and fry, stirring , 30 seconds, or until they boil. Don’t burn.
Put
- in the onions and fry and stir, 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown.
Put
- the garlic and ginger in a blender until a coarse paste forms. Add to the pan with the coriander, cumin, salt, turmeric, chili powder, mango powder, seeds, and garam masala ground pomegranate and continue stirring 2 minutes.
Add
- the chickpeas and continue stirring 5 minutes longer, mashing some of the chickpeas against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Discard
- the tea bag, pour the tea into the pan, and simmer7 to 8 minutes stirring occasionally, until it becomes quite thick. Pack in a heat pack for a hot lunch to go.
You can carry your hot lunch in a heated lunch tote.
HOT LUNCH CHEF